


Our Souls Play

by deviantcee



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst, Bisexual Jake English, Cowboys, Crying, Dave is a full out gay, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Feelings, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gay, Gay Male Character, Homestuck References, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mature rating arrives later, Mild Homophobic Language, Murder, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Jake English, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, Tags May Change, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, adding tags as the story progresses, dave has some issues with his past, past is rarely mentioned, the time is never really established but it's in the 1800s, their initial team name is RARELY mentioned, this story is bound to have some cliches™ in it, yeehaw amirite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 04:57:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17574320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviantcee/pseuds/deviantcee
Summary: Dave Strider and Jake English are two of the most infamous bandits in the golden days of America outlaws. However, emotions can sometimes get in the way of dirty business.





	Our Souls Play

**Author's Note:**

> an old story from about two years ago so my apologies for cringe-worthy writing. never bothered to post it until now, therefore, here you guys go.

Number one, they were the common talk in many crowded saloons but no soul ever lived to explain the infamous story of the two bandits. They left as fast as they arrived, like a flash desert storm through different towns, leaving an unruly mess everywhere they visited.

  
Number two, they weren't forgiving to anybody, oh hell no. Though if you had the guts to try to stop their criminal deeds, sooner or later you'd have a bleeding hole imprinted in your skull, the bullet delivered from the shorter murderer's gun.

  
Number three, they rarely showed their identities. Everything on their face from the nose were masked with a bandana and always wore clothing that was classified for bandits, assumedly to keep up their reputation. Unrecognizable, at a far man's glimpse but when the clouds of dust came closer into town and screams began to echo, you better run like the devil's licking at your bare heels. And last but not least, number four, the sturdy rule for every town in the dangerous, wild west. Don't approach them at any cost and unless you have a weapon, let them do their own thing.

 

* * *

 

It was hilarious for the two males. To watch every townsperson's body tremble with each step they took, at each rattle from their cowboy boots' spurs, it became entertaining. All across the region, they were well known as the Tornado Bandits, due to how fast they could raid a place. Posters with their faces and promised bounties on them were constantly posted up onto building walls yet got torn down by their hands whenever they noticed the peeling pieces of paper, proof to warn others that they scavenged through the area. They tended to ride on stolen horses but let them gallop away after a quick lash of a whip and a yell.

  
Jake English, the tall brunette one, was the leader; he loved to scare people by cornering them until he got rather bored and killed them.

  
Dave Strider, on the other hand, just wanted to grab all the gold his bags could carry. The offer to join the green-eyed guy in his first crime was given to him a few years ago and he quickly took it because... Well, he might have had a small crush on Jake. Despite it sounding stupid for a cold-hearted robber to adore a certain someone, he couldn't help it when love hit him at first sight. Enough information.

At the moment, they were excitedly hooting and hollering at each other's amusement in the middle of a dry desert, a fire flickering in front of them. They were recovering from a long chase, after looting a couple stores in a nearby settlement. Because night had recently fell over them, the skies were a pitch black and it was just as hot as daytime, giving them no easy rest. Jake was wiping the sweat away from his tanned forehead with his bleached green bandana, not bothering to wear his cowboy hat whilst Dave leaned back into the sand with no boots on.

  
"We barely got any money on that raid though it was worth terrifying the bartender there." The brunette joked in attempt to strike up a conversation, voice containing a slight accent. They were both visibly exhausted, muscles worn out from having to ride on a horse's back for so long. Dave rolled over onto his side and tried to examine the male's tired expression from across the fire, red eyes blinking slowly. Once some months passed by, you'd think a stupid interest in someone would fade away.

  
"No shit. At least we got some new booze too, they were real generous." He glanced over to the close bag of alcohol, destined to get them drunk off their asses.

  
"Do you want to try to find an abandoned hotel or sleep here tonight?" He questioned curiously, gradually sitting up.

Even though Jake English was commonly feared in various counties, only Dave would know why he bothered to become a bandit in the first place. It wasn't because of a sad life story or the thrill of becoming rich; it was because of the rush and the adrenaline he received when he would witness the look on the countless citizens faces when he stole from them. Other things weren't obvious, too; and this was his naive nature. If anyone saw the way Dave looked at Jake, it'd be simple to detect the feelings the blonde had for the brunette. Even after years of them being the close duo they were, Jake never quite caught on why Dave had a habit of staring. All Jake understood was that without Dave, he wouldn't have been as successful as he was now.

  
Even though their most recent robbery was a bit of a disappointment, Jake was still in the usual cheery mood. He had gotten away with another raid, and that was perfectly fine by him.

"The chump practically handed us any value he had left on him," Jake added, watching the fire crackle in front of him. It offered some calm aura to the busy world he permanently stuck himself in. As soon as Dave asked his question, Jake was already getting up, slinging his cowboy hat back on top of his head and stuffing the bandana into his back pocket.

"Let's bite the bullet then, yeah? Might as well find an empty bed anyways; that bloody sheriff won't be parading around this late anyways." The brunette gave his arms one last stretch above his head before skillfully straddling his trusty horse, his dirty hands giving her a soft pat on the head.

During their long years together as criminals, Dave surprisingly never got annoyed nor tired of the energetic personality that Jake sustained. He appreciated it, the way the cheerfulness would keep them going through the hardest situations. After all, it brought him to be gleeful when he first ran away. If he went back to his far hometown, he believed the people, including his own family, would scowl at the fact that the subtly younger male deserted a perfect household to join a psychotic idiot, too blind in love to realize the sorts of bloody trouble he would get into. And sadly, he had been pining away for multiple months on end now, not sure how many exact days had passed since the fluttering sensation first entered his chest.

  
Upon hearing footsteps press against the dry ground, Dave's deep thoughts broke away and caused him to look up to Jake, sighing at the sight of him placing the familiar cowboy hat back on. He brought up the suggestion but having to ride some more? It made him groan.

"You should of told me that I was going to need my horse while we were escaping the town." He grumbled quietly and began walking around the campfire to pick up the bags of loot they had stolen, leaving the fire lit. In the huge scramble of trying to quickly avoid the bullets that were shot at them, he had abandoned his own animal and joined Jake.

"Alright, ready to go." He notified after attaching the bags to the horse, hopping up on the mammal's side then straddling it with his legs. Honestly, his ass hurt due to the constant trotting movements and sudden halts.

Riding horses did suck; but Jake was well adjusted to the bruising and the entire 'my legs feel non-existent' feeling afterwards. He was rather found of his horse; she was strong, loyal and beautiful. He also believed it was much better than any other transportation. Unlike Dave, who preferred to walk. It was painfully slow to discover things that way. Jake wanted to constantly be on the move; after all, there was millions more to see, and there was never enough time to do so. Why would he waste all that time walking around?

"Aw, come on, chum. Just one last ride for the night," he coaxed, offering a bright smile. It was too late to actually be that into riding a horse at this time- unless you were Jake, obviously.

"Why wouldn't you need a horse to escape town? That was a bit of a mishap on your part." Jake silently watched Dave gather everything, that incredibly stupid smile on his face as he waited.

"Ah, there we go Dave! We can rest your sores once we're at our destination." He gently kicked his horses side, grabbing hold of her reigns and beginning their journey to the closest abandoned hotel; or house. Which ever one seemed the safest and most convenient, of course. Jake knew that Dave would only get grumpier and more impatient if there was a long wait.

"Good, I want some time to rest after getting chased by some men who think they're county heroes. You know, they shoot once at an outlaw and they think they're the damn saviors of the day, even if they missed..." With a long yawn, Dave didn't hesitate to complain about the day's awry events and lifted a hand to push back his soft blonde locks, eyebrows furrowing together. Fortunately for the both of them, conversation topics faded away, it not taking him long to grow silent and listen to the horse's hooves hitting the ground instead, eyes resuming to blink at a weary pace. He was similar to a young toddler, becoming easily sleepy when the night came to a certain point. He let out another yawn then held no hesitation in his movements as his slim arms wrapped around Jake's waist, fingers lightly dancing along the clothing and rested his chin upon the older's shoulder. Compared to himself, Jake's tanned torso was broader and had a bit more muscle to it, obviously from doing most of the criminal work. Once more energy was in his body, he'd be remembering and cherishing every second of the moment.

"Wake me up if we come across anything..." The Strider mumbled slowly and let his eyelids flutter close, the tension in his shoulders soon relaxing. He rarely got time to snooze like this, used to sprinting around with the law on their heels.

Dave's complaints about the counties officers resulted in a little laughter from Jake.

"We shoot guns too. They're a bunch of bologna compared to what we're able to do," he agreed, feeling himself grow comfortable with the silence growing between them. The silence mixed with the dark sky was peaceful- and so was the slender arms moving around his middle. Dave was always gentle when they did somehow brush up against each other, or when they experienced a close moment like right now.

Jake could never figure out if it was intentional or not, but it also left him in a stir of 'I'm not a queer, Dave is just a close friend and close friends do things like this'- even though it left him in goosebumps. He'd only continue to absolutely deny it, though.

"Alrighty. Enjoy your catnap," Jake replied, focusing on the long trail ahead of him. But only for a couple of minutes, because his attention turned to the man who had his arms around him; it was distracting, for whatever stupid reason that was. It took a while before he allowed a hand to leave the reigns, his calloused fingers hesitantly just dancing over the smaller hands resting under his chest. But, of course, that wasn't enough. It's been too long since the brunette had touched a human in an intimate fashion; surely, that was the only reason why his thumb brushed over each knuckle of Dave's hand- which abruptly moved away when he approached a new town. Which looked absolutely dead- there were no horses in stables, no candles lit inside of houses... It was worth the risk.

“...Dave. You should wake up," Jake calls, stopping the horse before turning slightly, giving Dave's body a gentle shake. "Entire town seems to have vacated. Gotta check it out."

Continuing to be caught in a deep slumber, the peaceful silence that was kept during the ride wasn't interrupted by the cautious touches along Dave's hand and apart from him taking a deep inhale and moving his shoulders when the rough thumb rubbed over his knuckles, he seemed undisturbed. He was snoozing like an old dog, body unaware of the somewhat close motions. This was a very unusual sight anyways, men were never seen riding on the same horse and definitely never brushed their fingers together on purpose, if not an mere accident. Any remotely intimate contact between the two bandits was confusing to say the least, leaving them both to wonder whether they had lived on the desert together for too long or just being the good, caring pal they were.

"Mmph." The reluctant muffle left Dave's mouth once his name was spoken and tightly closed his eyes, feeling the horse's rhythmic trotting slow down to a stop. The shaking brought his ruby eyes to open, blearily glancing around the quiet place they had come across.

"Alright, nice. Let's go then." He replied before pulling his arms back, not speaking a word about them being snaked around Jake for the short journey and slid off of the saddle, boots landing on the ground with a low thump. He took his gun out of his holster, scanning around the lonely area.

Once Dave's arms were removed from around Jake's torso, it kind of snapped him back to reality. He wasn't having a gentle, midnight ride; he was now trying to find shelter for the night. Jake waited for Dave to hop off the horse before doing the same, leading the beast to a post and tying her up. If anything went wrong, Jake’s horse would be very necessary to escape. He knew Dave was way too exhausted to suddenly sprint away from anymore trouble. However, Jake’s instincts told him that their current location was mostly safe; but he'd take an extra precautionary step before letting Dave hit the hay. After securing his horse to a sturdy pole, Jake joined his partner, his hand sliding his gun from his leather holster.

"I did a scan of the town in a jiffy, but I suppose it'll be the smart choice to make sure no one will off us in our sleep." Jake approached the empty hotel, pushing open the wooden doors cautiously; they squeaked, revealing the empty lobby. The room was pitch black, and most likely covered in dust from years of abandonment.

“...It seems quite alright to me. Would you mind grabbing our belongings from the horse? I'll look through the rooms." Jake didn't even wait for Dave to respond before taking a box of matches out of his pocket, swiping the end of one against the back of the box. It provided some light- perhaps there would be some kind of candle to light if he looked hard enough.

Finger tracing over the etched designs in his gun's metal exterior, Dave's nose scrunched up at a squeaking rat that rushed out of the rusty hotel when the dark-haired man creaked the front doors open and stood outside, weapon still gripped in hand. Over the duration of many burglaries, he had learnt to never let his guard down, even if the scenario appeared to be reassuring. The last time he relaxed in an unchecked building, he barely managed to dodge an experience with death itself. His throat released a low cough once the aged dust reached him and used a hand to wave it away, staring as Jake started to venture further into the lone lobby.

"Alright... Anything goes wrong, you give out a loud whistle." He gave a short reminder. After another moment of watching, he decided Jake would hopefully be fine on his own and headed over to the horse, where he began to unload the bags they had dragged along for miles. Thinking about the past days, a small smirk flickered upon the younger's lips and he found his eyes looking back over, watching the match's glow move past the broken or dirty windows. It was uncommon to see the boy's mouth to twist up into the slightest smile yet, in these times, the different ways Jake acted could easily coax a snicker or an unexpected reaction out of him. He would never dare to make a move on the guy, though they neither had any romantic interaction in the longest time. No, that would ruin everything they had worked to so far get and destroy their dangerous reputations, the ones people feared. He groaned to get rid of those idiotic thoughts and walked towards the hotel's entrance, each footstep making his spurs click.

Jake only gave an enthusiastic nod in response to Dave's cautious warning; he knew he'd be completely alright. Even before Dave joined him as his partner in crime, Jake still managed to get away with risky burglaries. Just not all in one piece. Now that Dave was with him, he had back up if things became too heavy. There's been many times where Jake had been shot and Dave was there to cover him, or provide some sort of medical assistance. He didn't know what kind of education the kid had, but it sure came in handy. Jake was smart when it came to survival, but incredibly idiotic when it came to steady, thought out game plans. Which was why he was running through the halls of the inn with no care in the world, checking each room. If someone was in the hotel, they would've told him to shush up considering it was so late. After some searching, Jake managed to find a candle and a holder, using his match to light it. Most of the rooms had some sort of damage from bums or other bandits; so, Jake had to take some time to find the room that looked the best put together. Once he did, he set the candle down, flopping back onto the bed. The brunette panicked when he heard the sound of spurs nearby, but immediately relaxed. After spending so much time with Dave, Jake had the way his steps sounded memorized. He wasn't as tall as the average man was, so they were closer together; and for some reason, they were incredibly light. He didn't mind. Dave was good at sneaking up on others. Jake felt a smile spread into his face when he recognized his pal, sitting up and calling for him.

"Up here, Dave! She's completely empty!" He called, watching the room door like an excited puppy.

Upon hearing the other man eagerly yell out to him, Dave's footsteps picked up their pace and ambled into the musty hotel, boots now causing the floorboards to creak underneath his weight. He bounded up the partly broken stairs in order to get to the building's higher level, slowing down to a walk until he approached the room, the one he heard the energetic voice echo from. The second he was inside the room, his hands released the bags and let them gently drop to the ground, sighing in sweet relief. Thank the heavens, they had managed to find a place where they could rest for a while then possibly scavenge afterwards. He kicked the door shut behind him with the end of his boot before taking the footwear and also his coat off, securing their safety. Without the heeled boots, his height was a tad shorter and less intimidating. He reached into a bag to pull out a beer bottle, taking a quick swig. Not water, yet it was something to drink.

"One bed but I'll definitely take it. Move over, I want to get some shuteye." He motioned for Jake to adjust over to the side and laid down on the mattress. Small beads of sweat were clear on his forehead, cheeks lightly flushed due to the heat and most likely because he was right next to his crush.

The need for sleep was important; but Jake’s brain refused to let him think about anything besides Dave. That sounded sweet, and romantic, but those weren't necessarily his intentions. The blonde man laying beside him somehow got him feeling awkward as all, because, well. Men shouldn't lay beside each other so casually, or ride on the same horse or latch onto each other. He should speak up about it, and tell Dave that it was queer and immoral to be the way they are. He took a deep breath, slipping his cowboy hat off his head and turning to look at Dave. He had his mouth open, completely ready to spill how 'uncomfortable' he felt; but he froze, because he couldn't find the words to actually say it.

Because Dave looked kind of pretty- his lighter skin contrasted off the red on his cheeks, and it kind of made him shut up. Dave was pretty, and Jake sort of realized that telling him that would really close more opportunities for him. His cheeks matched Dave's, flipping onto his back so he wasn't gawking at him anymore. His feelings about Dave were always confusing; and he was pretty sure they were just cleared up. He refused to let himself believe he had some crush on him; and it’d be easier to refuse if he was piss drunk. Yeah.

"Go ahead. Don't need you passing out on me." Jake shifted his legs off of the bed, slowly standing up and making his way to the abundance of booze they had. Without a word, he pulled the cork off of a glass bottle, plopped down on the creaking floor and began his journey of drinking himself to sleep.  
Oblivious to the awkward glances, the young Strider was unaware of the other male's lurking thoughts and instead was gazing at the ceiling, eyes barely lidded, close to shutting. Sleepiness was inching its way over his body but he was trying to stay awake, to listen to some more witty comments in that enlightened voice. He heard fabric rustle together and looked to Jake when he was shifting to roll onto his back then slide off, just barely missing the long gaze that was set to his face.

"And where are you going to sleep?" He frowned softly. He hated to act selfish, especially after a raid where Jake was the one saving his ass. Not shooting as much bullets as usual, riding together on the horse when he forgot his own, making him start the fire then falling asleep first... He turned over faintly to watch Jake's movements and raised an eyebrow at the liquor bottle, the candle on the bedside table dimly illuminating his facial features. True, he had some pretty looks but he never took notice, too occupied with trying to survive.

“...Drunk on the floor, I see. Whatever floats your boat." He murmured jokingly then took advantage of the comfy spot he had, stretching out on the bed. "Also... keep a closer eye on your items, English. Its real easy to snatch from you." He lifted up his hand, which was holding Jake's gun. He was an expertise at stealing; he happened to slyly sneak the weapon from the holster while the brunette was standing up.

If only alcohol could _permanently_ put a Saran Wrap film over Jake's brain- his feelings for Dave would work out so damn well. Jake tipped his head back as he sipped from the bottle, feeling the liquid burn his throat as he swallowed it down, with the hopes that there'd be less complication by the end of tonight. As if his intoxicated thoughts would help!

"Mm, don't stress. I'll figure it out." Jake peeked over at Dave, and oh dog gone it, he was still just as adorable. Drink till she was pretty? No, drink till he's ugly. If that was possible, of course. Jake continued to take swigs from his bottle, feeling only a slight buzz when Dave started joking around.

"I'm not drunk yet, chap. But when I am, it definitely will be floating my boat." Jake rose his brows at Dave's reveal; it wasn't anything new, but the brunette would always be impressed by the blonde's talent. "Shouldn't have to keep an eye on my belongings with you around. I don't think it's possible that a bandit could steal from the sneakiest bandit around." Jake set down his bottle for a moment before slinking back onto the bed, only to climb closer to Dave. To take his gun! Not to be close, or feel the heat of another person’s body against his own. Pfft. That'd be ridiculous. Obviously. He reached for his gun, his fingers wrapping around the grip, and partially, Dave's fingers.

"Are you trying to shoot me?" Hopefully. He wouldn't have the urge to kiss the blonde below him if he was dead.

The moment the taller male's fingers unwrapped from the bottle's glass barrier, Dave's heart instantly decided to start pounding against his chest, each loud heartbeat in his ears making it hard for him to focus on the man whom he had an interest to was crawling quite close. Closer than earlier, when they refused to even brush against the other's limb. Seeing Jake reach for the gun, he grinned wider and raised his hand higher above his head even though the teasing wouldn't last long. He was the shorter one, it was difficult to play around with someone who had a greater height.  
He felt Jake's fingers join his hand on the gun and ignored the intensifying blush on his face, looking right into the green gaze he never made eye contact with. The color was vivid, silencing him until the question was asked.

"No, I would never." His eyebrows furrowed together and his grip loosened a little, continuing to stare at Jake's expression in forming confusion. Without his partner in crime, he'd just be a lonely, probably heartbroken boy walking through the desert.  
"I'd never kill you for any reason, just-" He murmured, fingertips briefly brushing against the palm of Jake's hand when he let go of the gun. "Go easy on the alcohol tonight." He finished. The space between their faces was tempting but he didn't take the risk, seeing how feisty Jake was starting to get.

The strong, gorgeous gaze of ruby eyes really distracted Jake. Why was he practically straddling Dave in the first place? It was to get his gun back from the sly bandit below him, but right now, it felt like he had different intentions. His breathing got a little quicker, as if he was out of breath from just taking his gun from Dave. He wasn't. He was just nervous as all hell.

“...I know you wouldn't shoot me, I was only joking." Jake took his weapon and pushed it back into his holster, making sure to properly buckle it up this time. He probably should take it easy like Dave asked, but he seriously felt like the only way he could be around the blonde was if he was intoxicated. That sounded like he hated Dave; but it was very much the opposite.

"You sound like my mother, Dave. But, okay. One more sip, and I'll retire it for the night. Save it for the next time we're up too late." Jake gave an awkward laugh, taking one last sip from the bottle and savoring it. He tried to memorize the acidity and the burn, like he'd some how absorb the alcohol more.  
He wouldn't.  
Why did Jake even find it necessary to listen to Dave? Jake was older, bigger and more experienced; but he trusted his partner with absolutely everything. It was ridiculous. He pushed the cork back into the glass bottle, his toe of his right boot pressing against the left to slip his boots off. He repeated this with the other foot, flipping back against the bed so he was laying by Dave's feet. Not being so close would probably help his case.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

Although the pressure building up in his chest faded away when Jake moved off of the bouncy mattress, breaking the interesting pose in order to tuck the gun back into its rightful place, Dave had to admit that the oddly close position flustered him quite a lot, his heart's pace now starting to slow down. The eye contact they happened to share was more intense than any contact they had sustained before, both irises holding hidden emotions that lasted a few seconds.  
He considered the idea that Jake possibly was experiencing the same feelings, seeing how nervous everything seemed, but he discarded the idea. He didn't want it to torture his mind for the rest of the night. Blinking back into reality, he observed the tall brunette who listened to the advised comment and trailed down to the 'apple' in the middle of his throat, watching it bob as he took one last sip. Realizing what he was doing, he glanced away and softly scoffed.

"Next time we're up too late, you better share and not hog all the liquor for yourself." He sassed then adjusted his legs to allow Jake to lay back down. Despite Jake somewhat being the more feared one and the eager brute out of the two, Dave still cared for him and made sure they snuck out of sticky situations without any injuries. He wasn't too experienced with shooting or killing but he was essential.

"You do whatever people do before they go to bed, duh. Count jumping sheep in your head, tell some stories, talk about things that are stressing you out..." He suggested and halfway through the short list, his eyelids slowly fell shut. It wasn't long till silence overcame him, too tired from the past afternoon's activities to stay awake for any longer.  
The thought of Dave's eyes was now burning into a memory in Jake's head- he couldn't think of anything else but the close moment they shared a couple of minutes ago.  
He wished he could've sealed the space between them and left his trusty gun in Dave's hand, just so he could feel his lips against his. He now had no doubt in his mind that his feelings towards Dave were all romantic and not platonic, but trying not to act on them was the hard part. Especially when there was no one around, and Jake hasn't touched another person intimately in years. He did his best to relax himself, taking a deep breath and sinking back into the mattress beneath him.

"I wasn't hogging. You were free to drink as much as you wanted. You were just too lazy to get off your ass," he sasses back, enjoying the friendly banter with his partner. He didn't want to lay by his feet anymore- he wanted to see Dave half asleep, with his eyelids heavy. Slowly, Jake got up, crawling over to the other side of the bed, laying on his back and facing the ceiling. Just so it wasn't completely obvious that he was there to stare at him. He closed his eyes, beginning to count his own sheep in his mind. After number twenty-five, he spoke up.

“...What number are you on?" The brunette asks, before he realized that Dave was already out cold. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Dave, a smile spreading across his lips. His Strider looked so delicate and tired, with his lips twisted into a little pout. Jake slowly reached across, smudging a piece of mud on his pale skin till it went away. He used his thumb, afraid of waking him up again. After Dave's face looked clean enough, Jake finally closed his eyes. Okay, no he didn't. He'd never admit this to anyone, but he pressed the quickest kiss against his forehead. Like some creep, kissing the man he crushed on in his sleep. After that, Jake forced himself to close his eyes, falling asleep after minutes of laying there.

Dave was certainly out like a light. Typically, the gentlest bump against his ivory skin or the wind's faintest whistle in his ears would make him jump up, but he was caught in a deep sleep this time. His body was tired with no hopes of being jostled awake and his muscles felt too heavy to open his mouth to start teasing or smirk when the tanned male returned to the bed's empty side. Not too long after that, he succumbed to exhaustion and passed out without a good night. Expression calm apart from the precious scowl his lips held, his sleeping figure didn't make any objections to the touches.  
He was a filthy bandit who had many crimes to his name, but in a moment like this, that could be all forgotten when he looked so endearing, especially once the kiss was pressed to his forehead. It was enough to keep him pleased and quiet during the night without any kicking. Hell, the only annoying things he did were sticking his cold feet against the taller's warmth, shimmying closer until about a hands length was between them and resting his forehead a smidge against Jake's arm. You couldn't blame him, it was a habit he had gained over the years, to snuggle up to anything near him in a bed and stay there for his entire sleep, no matter what it was.


End file.
